Rebirth
by brightredcherries
Summary: Anzu, now a highly recognized artist, is moving on with her life after the troubles of a failed relationship. What happens when a familiar face wants to reconcile with her after a year? How will things go? Will her hatred overpower her?
1. Chapter 1

**Again, I am aware of the new stories that I keep bringing out...and that I haven't even finished the ones that I have, but I just have too many good ideas working in my brain. Anywho, I just wanted to really do another take on the Azureshipping couple concept. I didn't want to do anything typical, so I hope you guys enjoy this story!**

**Rebirth **

**Summary: Anzu, now a highly recognized artist, is moving on with her life after the troubles of a failed relationship. What happens when a familiar face wants to reconcile with her after a year? How will things go? Will her hatred overpower her?**

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Period. End of story.**

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><p>Yugobiya, known for its classy yet expensive, family oriented neighborhood, was in the midst of the cool, brisk November temperatures. The weekend meant families taking their babies for a walk, playing Frisbee in the front yard, and raking leaves. For Anzu Mazaki, it meant laying on her ass eating cheese crisps while watching romantic comedies on TV. Her eyes were looking at the movie, but her mind was elsewhere.<p>

The black and white romantic filmed continued, as she listened to the man talk to his love, _"My dear, Linda, I was wrong to leave you. To hurt the way I did. Could you find it in your heart to forgive me?"_

_"How can I trust you again? You were with another woman behind my back. It doesn't take the pain away." _Linda wept, wiping her silk handkerchief across her eyes.

_Oh how this applies to my life, _Anzu thought, reveling in the irony. The particular scene reminded her of what she went through for the last year or so, except with no apology included. That terrible memory is what allowed her to bare birth to her now eight month old daughter, Morgan Grace Mazaki. She was sure not to give her baby her father's last name, due to the drama that would follow a scummy headline. Morgan was her entire world. Her daughter gave her so much joy, but at the same time reminded her of the failure that she tried to change, but she should have known when everyone told her not to get involved with him. Her brain took another painful trip down memory lane, letting all the grotesque images flicker through her mind...

_That night, she was truly fed up. Anzu could honestly say she was at the point that she had enough. She was on an uncontrollable rampage, and refused to stop._

_"I'm so fucking _sick _of you. I'm tired of you treating what we have as something dalliant, while I'm the only one who gives a shit. I refuse to be treated like some useless, unwanted bed warmer...and then you had the _audacity_ to be with another woman while we're together. You're just a fine, fucking piece of work." Anzu growled, putting her one shoulder, long sleeve on. _

_"It wouldn't be practical for us to date right now. I have a reputation to uphold, Anzu, and if the tabloids find out I'm dating you, then it's going to get out that I'm 'cheating' on Charlotte. It's just business." He explained, trying to get her to understand, but to no avail. _

_She let out a sarcastic, pissed off laugh, "Hah! And just exactly _**why** _should I be inclined to believe you now? If you lied about being with her, what else have you been lying about?"_

_"I don't give a damn about Charlotte! She's an old fling I'm doing a favor for to get the press off her back and nothing more. I love you." Seto responded, trying to reason with her, rather than losing his temper._

_"Is that what you told Charlotte when you slept with her?" She asked, in a low voice. He remained quiet, due to the curveball she just threw at him, "You know what? I'm done. You can take your grand reputation and shove it up your sorry, narrow, non-existent ass!"_

_~xoxo~_

_"Ms. Mazaki, are you aware that you're pregnant?" Her family's doctor asked, leaving her in shock..._

_~xoxo~_

_"So, you're that tree hugger art chick that my Seto has been talking about? Get this through your head little girl, he's mine, and always will be. He was fucking me the entire time he was supposively with you. It wasn't just for publicity, it's for real. It's not your fault, but he's not known to fling around with commoners and little sluts like you. He didn't want you...and he sure as hell doesn't want that bastard that's in your stomach. Might want to go find a man who'll actually give a damn." Her lips formed a devilish smirk, as her light green eyes flickered to the small lump that was her stomach. She twisted on her pearly white heel and walked away._

_~xoxo~_

_"She's beautiful, just like you, Anzu." Yugi told her, as they all huddle around her and the baby. _

_"I agree with Yugi. Kaiba may be a bastard, but he sure as hell knows how to make pretty babies." Honda added, as they all watched the baby open her eyes. _

_She looked deep into her baby girl's eyes. A deep shade of cobalt blue just like her father's. Her head had a little bit of brown hair sprouting from her head. Her cheeks were chubby, and a flushed pink like rose petals. Her lips were just a rosy, and her skin was fair like her mother's. _

_"What are you gonna name her?" Jonouchi asked, curiously._

_"Hmmmm, when I look at her, no Japanese names come to mind. Actually, I know what'll fit her perfectly. Happy Birthday, Morgan Grace Mazaki." She said, kissing her daughter's forehead._

Though she momentarily felt the bitterness return, she eventually shoved the thought of him out of her mind. The only good thing that came out of their casual relationship was Morgan. He would no longer be a part of her life, to a certain extent. There still left Morgan. If she kept the knowledge of her existence from him for too long, then she'd have to bare the pain of Morgan resenting, or possibly hating her.

However, if she introduced Morgan into Seto's life now, she didn't want the pain of explaining to her daughter that her father doesn't want to have anything to do with her, and that in other words, she would be known as a mistake, in his harsh, cobalt eyes, and the possibility that she would have some bimbo as a stepmother. After shutting the TV off, she falls asleep with those thoughts continuing to run the marathon called her mind.

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><p>Sunday morning was peaceful for Anzu. She enjoyed waking up early with the morning sun because the warmness of the sun and the cool colors of the trees and sky inspired her to paint. After putting Morgan in her playpen next to her easel, she started working on her last painting for her upcoming exhibition, which is inspired by the most famous cities in the world. She planned on inviting some of her friends from her art society she had in college. Anzu spent the last few weeks sending out invites, requesting other artists to submit their works, and getting the word out about her exhibition, with the help of the gang and her art friends.<p>

She felt quite excited, since this was her first exhibition for people to see her collection of art. Ever since her professor submitted her painting without her permission, there were studios and galleries across the country asking for her to submit paintings. She had submitted almost fifty paintings over the time span of her college career, and even more since she graduated. Though she didn't pursue it as a career, she still danced in her spare time, and even helped out from time to time. Nevertheless, things changed after Morgan was born. It was very seldom that she traveled anymore because she didn't want to leave Morgan while she was still developing. Anzu made it her mission to be there for every milestone of her daughter's life.

Before she could get started on her painting, she heard her phone ring. From what she saw on the caller ID, it was her friend Kiyoko.

"What's up, Ki?" Anzu asked, tucking her phone between her ear and shoulder.

"_Hey, you won't believe what I just did for you._" Kiyoko told her, while her excitement sparked through the phone.

"I won't know until you tell me." Anzu said, trying not to laugh.

"_I just got off the phone with my friend from England, you remember Penelope right? Anyway, I told her about your exhibition and she's got at least fifty more people to come, and more than half of them are artists she knows._" Kiyoko explained, screeching with more excitement.

"No way! Thanks so much! I know I can always count on you, Ki." Anzu chirped, happily, "Hey, do you know if Jae and Cyrus are coming? I know that Jae is doing some humanitarian work in Amsterdam."

"_Yeah, definitely. Jae is flying in tonight and he'll head back out the day after your show. Oh, I have to go. I'll talk to you soon._" Kiyoko replied, sounding like she was in a hurry.

"All right, bye." Anzu told her, hanging up the phone. She glanced at her baby playing with her toys, "Looks like it's gonna be a good day for you and mommy."

_~xoxo~_

A few hours after leaving KaibaCorp for another day, Seto looked through a magazine out of boredom. So far there was nothing too appealing to him. Just celebrities either getting together, getting made fun of for fashion faux pas or getting married...and even divorced. While flipping to another page, there was something that caught his eye. He flipped back a couple pages to an article entitled, 2011_ Most Promising Young Artists Under 25_. While reading through the article, he already recognized Mokuba mentioned in the article for his global humanitarian work, giving back to the community and his plans to go to Columbia to major in global health. After reading on for a minute, he stumbled across another familiar name.

_Though she was only nineteen years old when her college professor submitted her painting entitled, _Omnipotence, _Anzu Mazaki has made a name for herself in the fine arts community all across Japan. Once a dancer years ago, Anzu channeled her ever expanding imagination, grace, and versatility through her art. Over the span of nearly four years, she has submitted nearly fifty paintings across the country, with thirty of them being recognized by critics from around the world. She earned several awards, including the Domino Fine Arts Presidential Award when she was only twenty, among the youngest artists to have won the award. She is in the middle of working on her first upcoming exhibition, which is to take place in mid November._

_Hn, well what do you know, she's coming up with the big dogs. Maybe I should make an appearance at this exhibition, _He thought, continuing to read through the magazine.

"Hey." Mokuba greeted, lounging on the couch in his home office.

Seto smiled, just a bit before turning the page, "You're name is now in millions of copies of this magazine. Congrats."

"Oh yeah, my lab partner showed me that. It's no big deal really; it's just what I do." The young boy explained, propping his feet up on the arm of the couch.

"There's no need to be modest. Really, it's not bad to get recognized for something positive you're doing for everyone else." Seto explained, setting the magazine down.

"I'm gonna get food in a minute. I'm so tired." Mokuba muttered, shutting his eyes for a moment.

"If you do go, get me Chinese," Seto mentioned, shutting his Mac computer on, "Did you know about Anzu's upcoming exhibition?"

Mokuba bit his lip momentarily before answering him, "Uh, yeah, I got an invite."

"You get shaken up when I mention her name." He deduced, while beginning to type.

"I'm surprised you even speak her name considering what happened between you two." Mokuba said, sitting up from his lying position.

Seto rolled his eyes, due to repeating himself over and over again, "For the last time, I didn't want to break up with her. And technically speaking she broke up with me. Things got complicated and she blew everything way out of proportion, even when I tried to explain that the whole relationship with Charlotte was for publicity, not because I actually liked her. That's kind of the point of the term 'old flame'. I really regret what I did to her."

"I know you didn't mean to, bro. I was just yanking your chain. Plus, if that's how you really feel, then tell her that. Anywho, let me go get this food before it gets too late." Mokuba replied, grabbing his car keys and heading out.

* * *

><p>After attempting to feed Morgan smashed peas for the last hour and a half, Anzu went out to get Chinese food, bringing Morgan with her. She loved the fact that since babies couldn't possibly decide what they want to wear, she could dress Morgan in the cutest attire for the coming winter. She put a nice little Totoro hat to keep her head and ears warm, a little dark grey pea coat, and a little green plaid scarf and tiny matching mittens.<p>

"Oh, Mommy can't wait to stuff her face." Anzu mumbled, while Morgan played with her necklace.

Since no one was at the register, Anzu decided to play with her daughter, "You like Mommy's necklace? Look at that foot, I'm gonna eat that little foot."

Playing with her foot made Morgan let out a cute, soprano laugh. Before she could play further, Anzu noticed that someone finally approached the register.

"Hi, can I help you?" The woman asked, smiling.

"Oh, I'm picking up an order for Mazaki." Anzu replied, gently patting Morgan's back.

"Here you are, just in time." The woman responded handing her the plastic bag with the receipt attached to it.

While taking out her wallet, Mokuba was walking just by the window to the restaurant. When he looked up, not only did he notice Anzu, but he noticed the little baby girl she was holding in her arms. He was in sort of a catatonic state. Though she was a perfect mix of both parents, the darling baby resembled Seto so much. Her high cheekbones, straight nose, and especially her eyes. The same dark, cobalt filled her huge doe like eyes.

_Oh my God...I...I can't believe that Anzu had a baby, and it's Seto's! _He thought, casually walking into the restaurant.

"Anzu, I didn't expect to see you here." He greeted, pretending he never had any type of revelation.

"Mokuba, hey!" Anzu chirped, setting her bag on the nearby table, "How have you been?"

"Eh, hanging in there for the last year of high school," He responded, as his eyes gazed at the baby in her arms, "Can...Can I meet my niece?"

For some reason, she was thrown off by his question. Of course he'd recognize that Morgan was his niece by blood. She should have expected that she couldn't fool him of all people, "Mokuba, this is Morgan. Morgan, say hi to uncle Mokie."

She looked at Mokuba for about a good few seconds, before she slowly hid her face into her mother's neck. Mokuba merely chuckled at her shyness.

"Sorry, she's just really shy when she meets new people." Anzu told him, stroking her cheek.

"She's adorable. Why didn't you tell me I had a niece?" Mokuba asked, still kind of hurt from the kept secret.

Anzu sighed, before hugging Morgan closer to her, "You honestly would have been the first to know, but I knew you'd tell Seto. Plus, I wouldn't want you to be dishonest with your brother because of me.

"I think you could give me more credit than that, Anzu. I'm seventeen, not twelve." Mokuba said, trying not to be rude.

"Please don't tell, Seto. I'm going to tell him, I'm just not ready right now. I don't want any problems and I know he doesn't want to have anything to do with her." Anzu pleaded, gently.

"Anzu, we're friends and I love you like a sister, but I don't think you're necessarily being fair to my brother. You can't assume that he won't have anything to do with Morgan if he doesn't know she exists." Mokuba pointed out, trying to be patient.

"Mokuba, if Seto wanted to truly be a part of Morgan's life, he would have done something about it before she was born. I carried her for nine months, and not once did he even expect that I would get knocked up. So in all fairness, I can't help that Seto didn't bother to put two and two together. He can hurt me all he wants, because he already has, but I'm _not_ going to let him hurt her." Anzu explained, defensively.

"Well, I'm not Seto, and I want to be a part of Morgan's life. She's my family by blood, and I want to be there for her, and the last thing I would do is hurt her. Please let me have that much." He told her, sincerely.

"I appreciate it. I want her to know you too, but I just couldn't handle it if Seto hurt her. She's my entire being and part of the reason I live," Anzu said, softly, "Well, I have to get going, I'll catch you later."

As drove away in her car, Mokuba was left in a very difficult situation. Only time would tell how things will go from that point forward.

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><p><strong>Well, this I actually enjoyed writing :) I'll admit, when I first drafted this, it was kind of odd because I had small bits and pieces together and I had to rearrange them into something that made since. I may edit this chapter a bit later on, but for right now, happy reading everyone!<strong>

**Cherriez**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, it's been...well I don't know how long it's been since the first chapter, but in my brain it's been a while. I do want to apologize if anyone felt the last chapter was kind of rushed, but it was with good reason. Anyway, here's a new chapter! Thanks again for the reviews and support guys!**

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><p>While the moving company occupied themselves with moving the works of art, Anzu spent the same amount of time putting the finishing touches to her exhibition. Excitement and nerves coursed through her body. Her very first exhibition would feature most of her paintings, and a great amount of pressure was on her shoulders, hoping that all the guests would enjoy her art and have a good perception of it. Whether or not there would be critics arriving was unknown to her, but she remained positive and calm to the best of her ability.<p>

Unbeknownst to her, Kiyoko arrived, carefully observing the rented space. The walls were covered in white, which would show of the variety of colors in the works provided. The architecture was abstract, yet comforting. Everything was in the best of shape. No dirt, no dust, nothing.

"I gotta say this space you rented is awesome." Anzu heard Kiyoko's voice, turning around to see her friend nonchalantly sipping her coffee.

"This is the place I used to work in college. I was the secretary. It just sucks that Kaiba Corp is like five minutes from here." Anzu pouted, fixing her beige and black colored blazer.

Kiyoko sighed with a bit of disappointment and sincerity, "I sadly remember. Why don't you both just sit down and discuss what went down. Even though you try to convince yourself that you hate him, I can see that you're still in love with Seto."

"Puh-lease, Ki. I'm not in the slightest attracted, or remotely even consider myself still in love with him." Anzu replied. Her tone was a clear sign that her stubbornness was taking control once again, "And besides, he has that blonde bimbo whore to keep him company."

"The both of you are so damn stubborn. Anyway, I've got the perfect outfit for tonight." Kiyoko decided it would be best to steer the subject onto something that didn't have to deal with Anzu's baby daddy.

"Eh, I just have a classic black dress and cheetah pumps." Anzu added, continuing to watch the moving company move in more paintings.

"I'm kind of proud that you've finally developed some fashion sense. I mean those thigh high socks and platform shoes you used to wear in high school...yuck." Kiyoko laughed, as Anzu glared her eyes at her.

"You know, it's been years since high school and I love my wardrobe now." Anzu said, looking down at her work attire.

Kiyoko stopped momentarily, taking a good look at her friend, "Yeah that is true. Anyway, you need to focus on tonight. Remember, this is your time and no one can take it from you."

"Thanks, Ki. It means a lot that all of you guys are going to be here." Anzu smiled, keeping positive thoughts coursing through her mind.

xxxx

Seto just returned from a lunch date with Charlotte. He didn't know how much longer he could bear to be around that woman. It was as if the brain cells in his mind were being sucked out of him like a vacuum. His thoughts immediately flickered to the familiar brunette he came to love. Though they technically weren't in an official relationship, he felt more at peace and less callous when he was around her. He always knew Anzu attracted people to her, whether or not they were good or bad, because of her compassionate personality. He actually considered that he may have very well let go one of the best things that ever came into his life. Though the press would have hounded the two of them, at least he would have lived knowing that he was happy, like he remembered being two years ago...

_*Flashback... (Mid August)_

_Mokuba was on summer vacation at the time, but was hanging out with Yugi and the other dorks. His office was bare, which bothered him just as much as a cumbersome itch on his back. All those years of Mokuba being in his office were a normal part of his day. Be it him doing homework, watching TV, or talking about his latest fling, the young boy's presence was truly missed. _

_Nevertheless, to the CEO, it was just another day at work that would go by. Months prior, he'd been working long hours on the now third version of the duel disk. Currently, he was waiting for a status report from the techs at HQ. Knowing that he was growing extremely tired from typing, he got up, threw his tie and tux jacket on the couch, and locked his office upon exiting. Before he knew it, he was outside taking an afternoon stroll, observing other busy people, much like himself, moving from one place to another. After walking down a few blocks, he noticed an abstract looking building. It was white with glass windows that made the building look bright and open. _

_The Judo and Variation Studio of Fine Arts, said the marble sign out front. He knew the building existed, but people came in there very seldom, from what he could see when he walked by. _

Hell, I don't have anything better to do, _He thought, walking into the studio. It was really open with polished, hardwood floors and freshly white painted walls. He noticed after getting through the doors there was a front desk just a few feet from him, but he could barely see who was sitting there. He could guess that it was a female, but her face was looking down, hiding her identity. Curiously, he looked around a show room to the right. It was full of paintings that were themed around what seemed to be abstract art. It still amazed him at nineteen years old, there were people in the world who were talented, and could put the simple things into something more epic and worth appreciating._

_"Ummm, excuse me, you can't be here." A voice told him, after opening the glass door. He recognized that same voice and that it belonged to someone he knew was worth tolerating. _

_"Hn, I didn't expect to see you here, Mazaki," Seto said, giving her his signature smirk, "If I had known this place wasn't a ghost town, I wouldn't have walked in here."_

_She rolled her eyes, due to how unbelievably typical the male was known to be, "Kaiba, it's like I said, you can't be in here. This exhibition is off limits until next week. So unless there's something I can help you with, you need to go."_

_"There are a few things I'm curious about. Why aren't you in New York? Did you not get into Julliard?" He wondered, suspiciously. _

_"Actually, I got offered a full scholarship, but I didn't want to pursue a career in dance anymore." Anzu explained, crossing her arms. He'd never seen her in this state. She was more reserved, and didn't seem as outspoken and fiery like three years ago in high school. He averted his gaze back to the paintings; he found one in particular that looked like an inverted waterfall. Every bit of color was fused and faded together to make the water, while the sky was a navy coat over the glowing silver moon._

_"Hn, this is yours? Very nice, indeed." Seto muttered, breaking the silence._

_She smiled, letting her soft features return, "Thank you. It's my first painting from my art society at school. My professor submitted it without my permission. I didn't find out until I landed this secretary job. Speaking of jobs, don't you have one you should be manning down?"_

_"Call it a well deserved break, if you will. I liked this, Mazaki. We should do this again." He told her, showing himself out. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her trying to hide her blush and smile. _

He then lingered on the last time he saw her, which was the last time they made love. That among other things was one of the worst times of his life. It took her leaving for him to realize that he was really in love with her. It was not by any means that he didn't want to be with her, but he was already in the middle of a war with the tabloids. He was "with" Charlotte at the same time he was truly with Anzu, and only God knows how that whole thing would have turned out. The paparazzi would have had a field day with that. The whole thing with Charlotte didn't smooth over really well with Anzu, which explained her departure from him.

_I guess being with Charlotte, even if it was for the press, pissed her off. It's not like I needed the press, KaibaCorp gives me enough fame that I can't even deal with it. Plus, I told her the truth, and she was still pissed. And people wonder why I don't date. Women are confusing and over emotional, _He thought, slowly undoing his tie. He changed into something more comfortable, just before getting back to working in his home office.

* * *

><p>Tonight brought upon great opportunity for Anzu. There were less than ten minutes until her exhibition began, and Kiyoko and Anzu's other best friend, Cyrus, were directing catering to where things were going to be placed. Anzu, on the other hand, was busy pacing the floor. She thought about a lot of things that could happen that night, positive and negative. Would people like her art? Would they even consider buying it? She decided that a portion of the proceeds will go to the World Wildlife Fund, since Anzu loved giving back to the community and helping animals.<p>

_Oh God, please let this go well, _Anzu thought, silently with her eyes closed.

"Hey, Anzu, someone's here to see you." Kiyoko told her, as Anzu snapped out of her thoughts.

Anzu turned to see someone she hardly expected to be there, "Oh hey, Mokuba!"

"Hey, Anzu." He greeted, giving her a hug.

"Wow, I can't believe you're here. How did you find out my exhibition was tonight?" She asked, still in complete shock that he was there.

"Well, I found out from Yugi before I got your invite." Mokuba admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"Right. Anyway, I'm so happy you came. Well, since you're here, you're free to look around and everything." She told him, not able to take the smile off her face.

"I know you're a busy woman, but try to calm down. I could tell you were nervous when I walked in here." He smiled, just before giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

After walking away, Kiyoko finally joined her side, "He's kind of cute. That's Kaiba's brother, right?"

Anzu almost laughed at how absurd her friend was being, "Kiyoko, he's seventeen."

"Awww, that young? I thought he was older. Damnit." She growled, going back to helping Cyrus.

"Do you guys know when Jae will be here?" Anzu asked, looking through her phone contacts.

"He said probably fifteen minutes after it starts," Cyrus told her, grabbing her shoulders, "Mokuba's right. You'll be fine! Calm down!"

"Easy for you to say, Cy. You've already had like seven exhibitions already. This is her first. Newbies always get nervous." Kiyoko said, hugging Anzu.

"Oh geez, I feel so loved." Anzu grumbled, sarcastically. Just before she knew it, she was off to the races as the mob of people began to pour in.

xxxx

While awaiting his arrival to the Judo and Variation art studio, Seto silently took in the cool, autumn air. He would be encountering an old flame he hadn't seen in almost a year, technically speaking. He remembered her smiling face, bright blue eyes, and cheerful vibe, which was destroyed by his own hands. In no way had he intentionally wanted to hurt her, but knowing the life he lived was different from hers. It was a harsh reality, but he wanted Anzu to understand that things between him and Charlotte weren't real and that the whole publicity stunt is just something to help keep Charlotte's appearance up, not his.

_She's the only woman I've held legit feelings for. I don't love Charlotte. Whether or not she loves me is irrelevant, simply because I don't reciprocate the same feelings. _He sighed momentarily, before going back to staring blankly out the window. Hopefully he wouldn't catch too much attention. The last thing he wanted was the paparazzi right there when he got out of his limo. A long, most likely stress filled night awaited him.

* * *

><p>"Anzu, everything's turning out great! I'm so proud of you." Kiyoko chirped, giving her a hug.<p>

"She's right. This is really awesome for your first exhibition." Jae agreed, messing with Anzu's hair.

"Thanks guys. It's so great to have such great friends to support me." Anzu grinned, happily before noticing Kiyoko's shocked face. It was a mix of horror and sadness all wrapped in one, "What's wrong? Why do you look like you just got hit by a pickup truck?"

Before she could answer, Jae turned Anzu around to face the demon in the flesh. The source of all her unbearable, sob story pain was in the room. How she wished her eyes were deceiving her as she watched Seto Kaiba walk in the studio.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Anzu asked, exasperatedly. She couldn't believe that he had the audacity to make an unsought appearance at her exhibition. Wasn't it bad enough that she endured so much torment from him before?

"I'm sorry, kid." Cyrus told her, rubbing her shoulder.

"Never mind that. No matter what happens tonight, he cannot, and I mean _cannot_ find out about Morgan." Anzu told all of them, hoping he didn't notice them.

Kiyoko's eyes widened in shock. "Wait a minute, you haven't told him about Morgan?"

"It's a long, redundant story, but no I haven't and he can't know. She's my whole world and I can't explain to you how devastated I'd be if he took her away from me." Anzu said, still in disbelief that she was in such a tight situation. She had no idea what business Seto had at her exhibition, but she didn't want to find out.

"Well, just act natural. They say people like Seto can smell fear, so don't act like you're afraid of him." Jae mentioned, helping her calm down.

"He's right. We'll be looking around, but if you need us, don't be afraid to shoot an emergency text." Cyrus explained, rubbing her back gently.

"Good evening, Anzu." He finally greeted her, discontinuing the longing silence between the two former lovers.

Anzu was left aghast. There were no words left for her sensitive ears to absorb. "Good evening, Kaiba."

He slightly smirked; not at all astounded by her bizarre choice to pretend there was nothing that existed between them. "Why do you insist of being such a drag? I seemed to recall there being a considerable amount of familiarity between us, in fact, not too long ago."

"Yes, of course, but I seemed to remember you also having an abundance of familiarity with a blonde whore, am I right?" Anzu questioned. She showed no resistance throwing the dirt back in his face.

"I liked you better when you were charming and kind." He replied, gazing his harsh, cobalt eyes into her playful, and innocent ocean blue ones.

"Well, it's quite a shame, Kaiba, seeing as how you gave me a reason to be brash." Anzu told him, crossing her arms. She considered herself lucky that she was holding her own. It proved to be problematic to not give into his tall, dark, and handsome demeanor, like she grew accustomed to.

"Anzu, please, I didn't come here to argue with you." Seto admitted, calmly.

Anzu restrained herself from not letting out a sarcastic laugh, "Then...what did you come here for?"

That answer Seto didn't even know himself. He tried to convince himself that he only made an appearance just to pique his curiosity of her skills as an artist. The new question at hand was if that's why he truly came?

"I just came with Mokuba. I was running late with work so I didn't arrive until just recently." He explained, plainly.

"Well, I would _love_ to tell you how ironic that statement truly is, but as you can see, I'm busy, as you so eloquently put it from time to time, so I think you'd understand my departure from this conversation." Anzu said, turning her back to him and leaving. She couldn't stand to deal with him and their problems.

_I'm in my prime, and I'll be damned if I let him knock me down, _She thought, continuing to mingle with other guests.

xxxx

Casting her cheetah print heels aside, Anzu locked her front door behind her. With the exception of running into her baby daddy, Anzu had an amazing time at her exhibition. Though Kiyoko and her other friends invited her out for drinks, she respectfully declined since she had to take Morgan off her babysitter's hands, who spent the last four hours watching the baby.

"Oh, hi, Anzu, you're back. I just put Morgan to sleep." Her babysitter, Rinata chirped, noticing Anzu appearing in the living room.

"Thanks so much, Rinata. You wouldn't believe the night I had to endure." Anzu told her, taking out her wallet.

Rinata looked down at her, but stopped Anzu in her tracks. "That's fine, Anzu. You already paid me before you left."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like me to walk with you to your car?" She asked, setting her wallet back down.

"No, I'm okay. I'll call you tomorrow." Rinata replied, walking to her car.

"Take care." Anzu waved her goodbye. Once she locked her door again, she walked through the living room and picked up the baby monitor on the coffee table. As she ascended the stairs, Anzu thought more about her run in with Seto. The fact that he even had the nerve to show his face in front of her was beyond words. She thought she was very clear about not wanting to see him again, so what was it that he couldn't comprehend?

_After everything he and that tramp have put me through, more so through my pregnancy than anything, he has the audacity to show his face. That sorry ass wipe, _She thought, slipping into her nightgown. She walked across the hall into the nursery, taking a peek into Morgan's crib by the wall closest to the bedroom window. It still shocked Anzu that she could be with someone like Seto and bring such an innocent, beautiful thing into the world. If she wanted to, Anzu knew that she could look at Morgan for hours and not become bored. She was so grateful that at least one good thing came out of her relationship with Seto, but she still wished that things would have ended in her favor instead.

_Mommy loves you so much. If your Daddy was in our lives, and not with some sorry excuse of a woman, I know for a fact he'd love you as much as I do. _With the hopeful thought in mind, Anzu walked across the hall once more and shut her door for the night.

* * *

><p>While walking to his second class, Mokuba still had the thought of his eight month old niece on his brain. He remained mind boggled by the fact that Anzu kept Morgan's existence away from Seto and himself for so long. There had to have been a logical reason that she's kept her from Seto for so long in the first place. Was it because she was afraid? Maybe because she couldn't trust Seto after their emotional break-up? Who would ever know? He thought of asking Yugi and the others, but knowing them, they'd respect Anzu's privacy more than anything because they were such tightly knit friends.<p>

_I'm pretty sure if she just sat down and explained everything to Seto, he'd understand a little more...eh, knowing Seto, he wouldn't take the situation very well. _He took his seat at his desk, taking out his copy of War and Peace.

It had only been a couple weeks since he found out that Anzu gave birth to baby Morgan. It hurt him badly that Anzu couldn't manage to trust Seto with their daughter, and didn't agree with her continuing to keep Morgan from him. He believed that Seto should've been given a chance before Anzu decided to go through with Morgan's birth, but as her friend he left things be. It would be ultimately up to Anzu to confess that she had a baby and that it was indeed Seto's.

He knew there was something Anzu wasn't telling him about...and that something had to be the reason why Seto still doesn't know about Morgan.

_It has to be their break-up. I do know that Anzu broke up with Seto, but I don't know exactly why she broke up with him. Something really bad must've happened that would cause such chaos in the first place. _

He thought back to about two years ago, when Anzu and Seto first started dating. The first eight to nine months were great; they spent time together, went on dates, let her stay at the mansion when she wanted to get some drawing or painting done for class, helped him re-paint his bedroom, and the list kept going.

It wasn't until they were approaching their one year anniversary that things started to become...well, strained between the two of them. After a while of hearing Seto tell her that he had to work late, he noticed Anzu stopped coming to stay the night, or even visit the mansion. He remembered also that Seto had been inconspicuously talking with another woman and ex-girlfriend, Charlotte. Then there was a period of time that Mokuba noticed Seto trying to juggle seeing both women, which led him to believe that he, was being unfaithful to Anzu. Within a few weeks, he could hear Anzu arguing with him in his bedroom after only staying for about two hours and watched her storm out of the mansion with tears trickling down her face.

_Something had to have happened either within those few weeks before they broke up, or when she was pregnant. Well, those couple weeks before they broke up, I remember there being something in the news about Charlotte and Seto getting back together...which was some made up garbage. Like Seto would get back with that whore...yuck. So what happened that made Anzu keep Seto out of the pregnancy loop? _

Mokuba knew there was only way he'd be able to get some answers, and that was to talk to Anzu face to face. He needed to get to the bottom of things, or else he'd never get his piece of mind back.

xxxx

"Wait a minute...he showed up at your exhibition last night?" Yugi asked, almost choking on his hot chocolate.

"Yeah...and to my dismay we exchanged words. He claims that he was there with Mokuba, but I think that's a load of bull. It's obvious that the news about my exhibition was in one of those magazines...I forgot which one, but Kiyoko was telling me that I was in a few of them. Point being, it was so infuriating." Anzu explained, rolling her eyes.

"I find that odd, especially considering you guys haven't talked for what...a year?" Yugi questioned, taking another sip.

"That sounds about right. Maybe two...I mean, I really don't care. I don't get that man. After everything he's put me through...I just...," Anzu stammered, sighing. She stared blankly into the fireplace in her living room while continuing to sip her hot chocolate.

Yugi just chuckled at the little bit of whipped cream on her nose. "I understand, Anzu. I'm just glad that you didn't let him ruin your night. The only Kaiba brother that I would consider your friend is Mokuba. Speaking of him, he knows about Morgan right?"

"Yes. I didn't even mean for him to find out. We happened to run into each other getting Chinese takeout and I had Morgan with me. He promised me that he wouldn't tell Seto about Morgan, which was a relief. I just can't deal with him and all the drama. I don't want him to hurt Morgan, because I don't want her to suffer." Anzu replied, hearing whimpering from the baby monitor, "Oh, she's getting fussy. Do you mind waiting a minute?"

"Of course I don't mind. Go on, I'll find a movie for us to watch." Yugi smiled, looking through her DVD collection.

Anzu couldn't help but smile. She loved how to this day she could still count on Yugi with anything. "Thanks, you're a doll."

Once Anzu reached Morgan's room, she gently picked up her daughter, "Oh, there there. Don't cry baby."

Automatically like clockwork, Anzu checked her diaper to see if there were any fumes. Nothing. She looked around her crib and noticed that her blankie was nowhere in sight.

"Okay. That's going to be a problem...what the crap did I do with your blankie? Oh, I have an idea of where it could be. Let's go see!" She cooed, gently rubbing Morgan's back.

After descending the stairs again, she met Yugi in the living room watching the first five minutes of Mean Girls, "Hey have you seen...since when did you watch Mean Girls?"

"Since I love ridiculing this movie." Yugi told her, sipping his hot chocolate.

"Have you seen Morgan's blankie? She's getting fussy because she doesn't have it with her." Anzu explained, as she left a soft kiss on Morgan's forehead.

"Oh, I was sitting on it...sorry." Yugi replied, handing Anzu the pink fleece blanket.

"Thanks." She said, sitting back on the couch with him. As she wrapped Morgan in her blankie, she took in the good moment that she was having with Yugi and knew that this was how things in her life should be.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, it's been a while since I've updated. Been super busy, but hopefully I'll get some more done once I've finished finals. Until then, happy reading and don't forget to review!<strong>

**XO**

**Cherriez**

**P.S. I keep forgetting to do this, but here's a brief summary of the next chapter: Mokuba meets with Anzu to figure out the real reason why she didn't tell Seto of her pregnancy. Will she confess or will it remain a mystery? While Kaiba is visiting a local daycare center for charity, he comes across something he never thought he'd see in his entire life. Is there a specific child that has touched him? **


	3. Chapter 3

**So I'm really amazed at the positive feedback that I'm getting from everyone, and I want to say thank you so much guys! It means a lot to me that everyone is enjoying the story and everything, and you have no idea how happy it makes me! Really, thanks to those who reviewed, now onto the story again!**

* * *

><p>Just as the sun set on another productive day, Anzu ended her day with another painting that needed to be sent overseas to Paris. Though the young artist loved painting, she preferred being able to spend quality time with her daughter. With November coming to an end, Anzu remembered that Morgan's first birthday was quickly approaching. Her baby girl was growing so fast, but it was easy to forget with her adorable little face. It also reminded her of a person who was missing out on the progression because of old drama.<p>

_If he only he could look at you, Morgan. I just know that underneath all that coldness, he'd love you a hell of a lot more than me, _She thought, watching Morgan put together a puzzle. Just before aiding her, the doorbell rang, causing Anzu to shift her attention to the door.

"Hey, Yugi!" She greeted, stepping aside.

"I just stopped by on my way home from work. How are you?" He asked, hugging her.

She let out a small sigh, "I've just been working on this painting I have to have shipped to France by the end of the week and thinking about how Morgan's birthday is coming up soon."

"Well that's great. Speaking of Morgan, why don't we take her to the aquarium this weekend?" He asked, as they moved into the kitchen.

She shut the refrigerator door, while handing him a can of orange soda. "Yeah, sure. She'll love that. I can make us a picnic basket for lunch, and I can use all the new recipes I've found."

He set his semi full can down on the table. "You would do that. Anyway, how's it going with Mokuba knowing about her?"

She let up a small smile. "It's been okay. He comes over on the weekends to play with her and she really likes him."

"I think it's a good thing that you let Mokuba be involved with her. Morgan ought to know who her family is. I mean, she knows your side of the family, but what about Seto's?" Yugi inquired, messing with the rim of his soda can.

Anzu was silent for a moment. He was indirectly asking her the one question that she didn't want to answer. "I've thought about it, but I'm really not sure. I haven't talked to him in a year...year and a half, and I'm still not on good terms with him. If I were to talk to him now, it would end in a screaming match."

"Well, I'm not really best friends with Seto, but nevertheless he has the right to know. She's his daughter too." He admitted, truthfully.

"It's going to be really tough, Yugi. I just don't trust him at all, and I can't risk opening my heart up to him again, or risking him hurting Morgan." Anzu glanced over in the living room at her baby still attempting to put the puzzle together on the coffee table.

"I know that he screwed up, but everyone deserves a second chance. Wouldn't you want Morgan to grow up not knowing who her father is? Even if he has an incredibly large ego, it would hurt Seto to know that he has a child in the world and never know." Yugi explained, letting his amethyst eyes glance in Morgan's direction.

"I just still don't know. He brings back too many bad memories and I still have open wounds." Anzu sighed, trying not to relive the pain and suffering that she endured to protect her daughter.

"Well, I respect your decision as your friend, but I really want you to think about the price you'll pay if you don't tell him." Yugi told her, nonchalantly.

Once their conversation was done, Anzu politely showed him to the door since he had other things to do. Yugi gave a quick kiss on Morgan's forehead and left. Shutting the door, Anzu carried Morgan back into the living room, reflecting on what her best friend suggested to her. He was asking her to do the unthinkable and impossible. Telling Seto about Morgan would open a huge can of worms. He would want to involve his 'oh so precious' lawyers and legal team, most likely to deliberate over custody of Morgan for God knows how long, then she would have to hear him question why she hid Morgan's existence from him.

Her mind shuffled to the other factor in the situation: Charlotte. All she could remember about her was the words that had knives at the end of them, that continued to stab at her heart. Anzu felt even more pissed off just thinking about it and her in general. It still baffled her how he could cheat on her with someone like Charlotte. She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't still hurting. Deep down, she knew her heart belonged to Seto, and only him. She couldn't bring herself to let go of the year or two of fond and cherishable memories. She looked down at her darling baby girl, with her hate for her ex-boyfriend immediately disappearing. It remained difficult for her to hold any malice for him when it was him who help create such an angel that she wouldn't trade for the world.

"Mommy loves you, forever." She mumbled, her lips caressing the baby's rosy cheeks.

xxxx

He found himself on the road to her house. The young teen had been putting off seeing her for just the right moment. The last forty eight hours were spent thinking about how to best approach her and what he was seeking from her. It was about time that he cleared the air and figured out what exactly was going on. Mokuba parked his car on the street in front of her house, shutting the door behind him. There was something surreptitious about the entire story. Something had to have happened, or else they wouldn't be in the current circumstance they're in. His finger pressed the doorbell as he waited patiently.

"Mokuba, hey! How are you?" Anzu asked, cheerfully, realizing that she was holding Morgan.

"I'm good, just came from school actually." He removed his Aviator glasses upon entrance into his sister-in-law's home. Morgan reached her tiny, chubby hands out, motioning for him to hold her. "Hey, Morgan! You pretty girl!"

She giggled as he gave her a hug and kiss, and Anzu couldn't help but smile as well. "So, did you come to play with Morgan?"

He followed her into the living room, sitting on the couch like always. "Ehhh, not exactly. I really just want to know, in all honesty, why you won't tell Seto about Morgan? All I remember from what happened is that you broke up with him and then that was it...what else happened?"

"Why do you want to know so badly?" She questioned, quietly.

"Because I care about you and Morgan. I want to know the truth and nine times out of ten, Seto isn't going to tell me."

She let out a deep breath, not letting the tears in her eyes fall. "Well, here's whatever you want to know...,"

* * *

><p><em>Like any other day, Anzu paid her daily visit to the Kaiba mansion. Today she described her mood as content, since she now completed most of her paintings that she arranged to be sent overseas to Tuscany and sent in her down payment on her new house. At the time, it was hysterical when she observed the realtors reaction when she handed him the check. Yugobiya had always been an expensive community to live in, but it was unheard of for a woman Anzu's age to be able to afford such a home. <em>

_Her destination was met once her car pulled in through the security gate, courtesy of Isono. She locked the car from the rather large front porch, letting herself in through the door. Her first conjecture was that neither of the brothers were home at all from the eerie silence that lurked about the foyer. Anzu walked into the living room, thinking his prescence would be there. Her ever moving mind told her to search his home office, where he happened to be ninety percent of the time. Knowing her impatient nature, she was thrilled to share the news of her good day with him. Her delicate, porcelain hand reached for the door knob, but not before hearing his voice through the door._

_"I'm telling you, idiot, that I cannot meet with her right now! I don't care if she has a flight later on, I have prior engagements that I won't have interrupted." She could tell that his conversation with whomever was heated, as if he were about to fire a Kaiba Corp employee. _

_She felt bothered by what she happened to stumble upon. Who had a flight later on? Surely he couldn't have been talking about her. She didn't have to travel to Tuscany until next month. _

Maybe I'm just overreacting. I'm sure there's a logical explanation to his telephone conversation. _For the moment, she ignored it and proceeded to knock. She heard him mumble something before allowing her to enter._

_"I thought Isono was going to tell me you arrived, but never mind that. How are you?" He asked, with a small smile to his features._

_She sat down on the couch, crossing her legs. "I came bearing good news."_

_"Oh? Do tell." He continued typing, waiting for her to elaborate._

_"I just sent in my down payment for my new house...and I've finished all my work for the next couple weeks, so I'm free to be all yours. I was thinking maybe we could spend some time together." She confessed, trying her best not to squeal. _

_His facial features went from neutral to a look of utter disappointment, and unfortunately she knew what was coming all too well. "I'd love to be with you, but I have a lot of work right now and I have to end up flying to New York in three days."_

_"Oh, okay. Well, I completely understand...and you don't have to worry about me being upset. I promise." She gave him a quick peck before leaving his office. Once she left the threshold, she held back the tears she had reserved. Though she'd been used to hearing him say it to Mokuba constantly, it didn't stop the feeling from hitting home. _

_From then on, the same cycle kept occurring. His excuses always had to do with work. It differed from flying to New York, having a late meeting, booking a last minute flight to whatever country, and so on. What made her absolutely livid was the fact that he had the nerve to schedule a business trip to Paris on the __**exact**__date of their one year anniversary. It was from then on, the straining began..._

* * *

><p>"Alright, what does that have to do with what I just asked you? I mean, I'm used to hearing it all the time...," Mokuba thought that the latter would be obvious, since it was obvious to him.<p>

She let out a loud sigh. "First off, if you would only let me finish my sentiment. Two, while you may be used to it, Mokuba, I wasn't. I mean, you're his brother and at the time, I was his girlfriend. Try to be a little more considerate please?"

"Sorry, Anzu. Please do continue." He invited her to keep the story rolling. He felt as if the answers he desired were finally coming to him, and he did not want to pass up these crucial moments.

She let her eyes flicker over to Morgan playing with her stuffed animals in her play pen. "Fine, as I was saying...,"

_On a particular June day, Anzu spent her weekend off with Mai. They did a large amount of shopping before stopping somewhere at a small, outdoor restaurant for lunch. Though she had no idea of it, Mai's intentions were to detract the brunette's troubled mind away from who was causing her to be depressed. She remembered listening to Anzu's long explanation of how Seto had refused to spend time with her for the last few months. Their one year anniversary was steady approaching, but nothing seemed to snap Anzu out of her unusual funk. _

_"So, tell me what's been happening. Outside of the fact that he hasn't spent any time with you for the last like three months..," Mai awaited to hear about Seto's series of vindications. _

_"Nothing, really. I've been working since Seto has a lack of desire to spend any time with me. I mean, we're dating and I'm putting in all the work here. I mean, I completely understand that he's been running a company since his early teens, but come on, he spent more time with me when we first started dating than he does now. I just don't get it...," Anzu let out another long sigh, while sipping her Dr. Pepper._

_Mai shrugged a little bit. "Well, there's something going on that he's not telling you. Think about it, Anzu. When was the last time you two had sex?" _

_"Mai! That's not something I really want to say out in public!" Anzu exclaimed, blushing madly._

_Mai held up her hands in surrender. "I'm just saying, sex is proven to be a contributing factor. Who knows, he may be getting his cookies from another cookie jar."_

_"I really don't like how you're insinuating that my boyfriend is cheating on me with another woman. Seto respects that I don't want to get pregnant right now until we've established that we're going steady." Anzu told her, rolling her eyes as she took another sip of her soda._

_Mai had grabbed a magazine, since the news stand was close by. Her eyes grew large as she stared at the front cover. "Uhhh, Anzu...,"_

_Anzu continued her rant in complete disregard. "Seriously, Mai, Seto wouldn't cheat on me. He has morals...so I have nothing to worry abo-"_

_"Anzu, seriously! I wouldn't speak too soon, check the front cover." Mai told her, handing her the magazine._

_If it weren't for the fact that they were in public, Anzu would have let out the worst bloodcurdling scream. Her entire world felt like it was going to explode into nothing but bits and pieces. As her blue eyes stared at the front cover of her favorite magazine, she read the bold, white print in front of her..._

_**Charlotte McGowen and Seto Kaiba Together at Last...**_

_"I'm sorry, Anzu...I didn't think that you would find out this way." Mai mumbled, sadly._

_All Anzu could focus on doing was setting her sites on Kaiba Corp. She slammed a twenty dollar bill down and left her friend in her seat. She jumped into the next cab, waiting for it to pull up in front of the familiar corporate building. _

I swear if there weren't witnesses around, I may just kill him! I can't believe that he's cheating on me with some model! I mean, I know I'm not as famous as that model chick, but I thought we were beyond the whole celebrity thing, _She thought, trying her best not to cry. If it were true that he was cheating on her...she didn't know how she would even respond. Anzu made certain to think that her boyfriend would at least have the decency and courage to break up with her before moving with another woman...at least that's what she thought._

_She paid the cab driver, slamming the door hard on her way out. She walked into the building like the Queen of her kingdom, disregarding the stares she was receiving from the employees on the first floor. She didn't care that she had on a casual, dusty rose dress and dark grey cardigan she got from H&M...or the nude, peep toe heels that she recently purchased from Payless. _

_"Hello, miss, may I help you?" She heard the front desk secretary ask, with her robotic kindness._

_"Well that depends. Would you ever consider living a life on the run? Because that's what I may end up doing after today!" Anzu left the front desk and slammed the elevator button that led up to the top floor. _

_Even the other people in the elevator could feel the angry aura that was coming off of the young girl. As soon as they could, the employees fled the elevator whispering about her. As soon as she heard the ding to the top floor, she marched her way to his office, ignoring what looked like his secretary. Once her fierce eyes found the door, she barged in hearing the door slam against the wall. _

_"Well, this is...a surprise. What are you doing here?" She heard his voice ask. She could tell that he was somewhat startled by her entrance, but remained calm._

_"Oh, nothing...just giving the Grim Reaper a day off." She growled, causing him to raise a brow._

_He was completely thrown off by her comment. "I beg your pardon?" _

_"Do you care to explain what's been all over news stands all morning?" She questioned, trying her best not to reach across his desk and ring his neck. _

_His face immediately changed from confused to pissed off. "I thought we had an understanding. Looks like I have a magazine to shut down."_

_"So wait a minute...you told them not to publish that article? I thought...," She stammered, feeling incredibly stupid. _

_His dark azure eyes narrowed at her question. "You thought that was true? Really, Anzu, give me some credit where it's due. I would have had the decency to at least break up with you before I'd consider cheating." _

_Anzu was floored by the first part of his statement. "What do you expect me to assume, Seto, considering you haven't spent any time with me in the last two and a half months?" _

_"Is this honestly why you barged into my office?" He interrupted, impatiently. _

_She let out what seemed to the thousandth sigh. "Just forget I said anything. Bye."_

* * *

><p><em>While she was busy priming her canvas, she heard her phone's text message sound go off. After setting her brush down she looked to see who the text came from. Surprisingly, it was Mokuba.<em>

_**Hey, I haven't seen you in a while. Why don't you come over? Seto's home. **_

_She rolled her eyes at the mention of the eldest Kaiba sibling. Anzu didn't really have the heart to tell the young boy that she hadn't been talking to Seto for almost three and a half weeks. After the incident with the tabloid and barging into his office, she made a decision to stop visiting the mansion. She hadn't spent a lot of time with him the last three months, so what was the point of visiting when he wouldn't be home. Sure, he made little attempts to send her gifts and have lunch with her, but it wasn't the same. She truly missed the times that they spent endless hours together, laughing and she enjoyed watching him smile, which was a rarity for him. After reminiscing in her wonderful memories, she sent a quick text declining his offer._

_**Ehh, not this time. I'm pretty sure he's only home for a short time before he leaves again. **_

_She knew that she may have sounded harsh, but she wasn't ready to deal with Seto at the moment. Anzu put the large cap back on her paint primer, while hearing the doorbell ring at the same time. She set her things down, rushing to the door. Someone she didn't expect to see on her brand new porch step, dressed in a black Giorgio Armani suit and pale green dress shirt with the top buttons undone._

_She felt incredibly under-dressed in her dark grey plaid shirt, black sweatpants, and glasses. "What are you doing here?" _

_"I figured I would stop by, since you refuse to answer my telephone calls." He admitted, quietly._

_"Well, it's a little impersonal for your secretary to call me when you're not available. For the record, I'm still not speaking to you...I'm just being forced since you showed up on my doorstep." She told him, crossing her arms. _

_He playfully rolled his eyes. "Look, contrary to what you believe, I have a few days before I have to leave again and if I didn't want to see you, then I would make a greater effort to do so." _

_She gave in, letting go of her somewhat sour mood. "Come in. I'll order us Thai food."_

_It was the first time in a while that they sat down and ate dinner without any interruptions. He commented on the fact that she hadn't taken the time to finish unpacking her boxes that were still sitting near the living room window, while she retaliated with the fact that he hasn't been around for a while. Though he filled her with rage earlier, she found that she couldn't stay mad at him for too long. He gazed into her eyes lovingly, as they shared a heated kiss, leading them to an intimate evening, exchanging tongues, ghost touches, and thick moans on her living room couch. It wasn't the first time they made love, but this was the first time that it felt completely different for Anzu. Problem being, she wasn't sure if it was good or bad._

xxxx

_Anzu let out another loud moan. He was completely inside her, hitting her in just the right spot as he continued thrusting hard, deep, and fast. They didn't care if anyone were to hear their passionate lovemaking. The outside world didn't exist to Anzu at the given moment. The only thing that were in existence were her, him, and the bed in which their sweat soaked bodies lied. Her hips tried to keep in time with his grinding and thrusting. He grabbed her by her waist and held her against him as she began writhing beneath him, letting her orgasm come to a head. Her lust filled scream filled his ears, as she released with him following along. Just as she felt him relax beside her, she heard the sound of his phone ringing. _

_"Are you fucking serious right now? No, I can't just drop what I'm doing and fly to Sydney." She heard him whisper, harshly. _

_"_Oh, so you're going to fuck that sorry tree hugger right after you fucked me two nights ago?_" _

_The moment she heard that comment, her cheerful eyes turned into harsh ones, full of malice and rage. Seto committed the one crime that she didn't know if she could forget...or forgive. She knew the entire time that he was cheating on her with that blonde tramp. Anzu threw the silk sheets off of her, gathering her clothes and what was left of her shattered dignity, refusing to believe that she was played for a fool. _

_Her mind immediately began to question the last year. How long had he been seeing Charlotte in secret? Were all the times he said he had to leave on business...he was leaving to see her? Were all his emotions towards her fake from the beginning? The answers to these questions weren't favoring him at the moment._

_Anzu could honestly say she was at the point that she had enough. She was on an uncontrollable rampage, and refused to stop._

_"I'm so fucking _sick _of you. I'm tired of you treating what we have as something dalliant, while I'm the only one who gives a shit. I refuse to be treated like some useless, unwanted bed warmer...and then you had the _audacity_ to be with another woman while we're together. You're just a fine, fucking piece of work." Anzu growled, putting her one shoulder, long sleeve on. _

_"It wouldn't be practical for us to date right now. I have a reputation to uphold, Anzu, and if the tabloids find out I'm dating you, then it's going to get out that I'm 'cheating' on Charlotte. It's just business." He explained, trying to get her to understand, but to no avail. _

_She let out a sarcastic, pissed off laugh, "Hah! And just exactly _**why** _should I be inclined to believe you now? If you lied about being with her, what else have you been lying about?"_

_"I don't give a damn about Charlotte! She's an old fling I'm doing a favor for to get the press off her back and nothing more. I love you." Seto responded, trying to reason with her, rather than losing his temper._

_"Is that what you told Charlotte when you slept with her?" She asked, in a low voice. He remained quiet, due to the curveball she just threw at him, "You know what? I'm done. You can take your grand reputation and shove it up your sorry, narrow, non-existent ass!"_

xxxx

_"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but Mr. Kaiba is busy, and the last thing he needs is a fan girl coming up with some nonsense." The receptionist said, patiently._

_Anzu felt incredibly insulted. When she was dating Seto, all the staff treated her decently. Now that they weren't in a relationship, they acted as if she were trash on the street. "Look, I really need to see him. It's important!"_

_As if on cue, she heard heels clicking on the tiled floor. There stood the petite, five foot five model, and professional homewrecker, Charlotte. Wearing her hair in long, voluminous blonde curls down half her back with her million dollar outfit, she noticed Anzu near the front desk._

_"Hi, I'm here to see Seto. We're supposed to go home together this evening for a romantic dinner." She smiled, a little too sweetly._

_The receptionist smiled cheerfully. "Why of course, Ms. McGowen, I'll message him right away." _

_"I just asked you to see him and you said he was busy! What the fuck is your problem?" Anzu questioned, refraining from jumping across the counter, even with her ever so eight and a half month, pregnant belly. _

_"So, you're that tree hugger art chick that my Seto has been talking about? Get this through your head little girl, he's mine, and always will be. He was fucking me the entire time he was supposively with you. It wasn't just for publicity, it's for real. It's not your fault, but he's not known to fling around with commoners and little sluts like you. He didn't want you...and he sure as hell doesn't want that bastard that's in your stomach. Might want to go find a man who'll actually give a damn." Her lips formed a devilish smirk, as her light green eyes flickered to the small lump that was her stomach. She twisted on her pearly white heel and walked away._

_Anzu was left standing in the front lobby, watching the blonde model ride up the elevator. She could feel the warm tears running down her face, knowing that the cool weather outside would most likely freeze them when she stepped out the front door..._

* * *

><p>She didn't realize that at the end of everything, tears were streaming down her face. "So there you have it. That's why I never told Seto about Morgan. He lied to me about being with Charlotte behind my back, so who's safe to say what she said about him not caring about our baby isn't true as well? What if it still stands true today? I've been thinking about this since the day I saw Charlotte. I've spent endless nights crying because of what she said to me. At the time, she insulted my unborn child and made me believe those words to be true."<p>

He felt incredibly bad for her. Until just know, he didn't know how deeply she had been wounded. "Anzu...I...I'm so sorry, I had no idea that you were hurting this bad. I can't believe she insulted the fact that you were pregnant...and that she tried to play it off that it wasn't Seto's."

"It's not your fault, I just always wished things would have turned out different for me. I always imagined us all as a happy family, being united, spending time together and actually having Morgan know who her father is and that he loves her unconditionally." Anzu added, wiping her tears on the back of her hand.

"I know he's done his fair share of screwed up things, however, I do think you should still tell him about Morgan. I know that everything has probably wounded you to a great degree, but a man deserves to know about his child." Mokuba admitted, biting his lip.

Anzu rubbed her forehead with her left hand, trying to shake off her migrane. "Mokuba, your brother hurt me, to a certain depth that you nor him can even fathom. I'm wounded and who knows how long it will take for me to heal. Right now, Morgan is what's holding my life together. She pushes me to want to be a better artist, person, and mother. I love Morgan with my entire being, and if Seto deceived me before, then how do I know he won't do it to her?"

"Please reconsider giving him a chance. I know that Seto will be a great father, he raised me and look how I turned out." Mokuba wouldn't give up his position.

Anzu got up from her seat on the couch. "You requested that I told you truth, well...there's the truth. I set it out on the table, but I'm still not comfortable with Seto knowing yet. When I'm ready to tell him, then I will."

Once she was out of his sight, Mokuba gave Morgan one last kiss before leaving. Things made a lot more since to him than they did a few hours ago. He knew they broke up, but he never thought it would be because his brother was cheating on Anzu...but technically, Seto wasn't cheating because he was only 'dating' Charlotte to help her publicity, so there was something still not right about the situation.

_Okay, Anzu honestly believes that Seto actually slept with Charlotte. The fact that Seto did a lot of traveling for business was evidence against him, so I guess that's something Anzu has on him. She may be referring to times that I couldn't go with him last minute so I can't vouch for his innocence. All the places that Anzu mentioned he went to aren't places that he'd normally go to for KC business, since none of our divisions are in those countries. I think Seto may have been set up without his knowledge, and I know only one conniving bitch capable of such trickery, _He thought, pressing the gas as his car merged onto the highway.

xxxx

"Right this way, we have our daycare. Some of the children enjoy playing duel monsters and such."

Seto spent his Friday morning walking through the same local orphanage that he and Mokuba were adopted from. He grew accustomed to visiting that he didn't regard it as charity work. Since the two of them had been adopted, they added a daycare center for residents in the area. The only way he knew the area so well is that his biological family lived in Yugobiya, which wasn't too far from the orphanage. He held much appreciation for the fact that even though he went through hell and back being adopted by Gozaburo, he felt blessed that he had the opportunity to help other children, whether or not they came from the same background.

His eyes glanced through the window before opening the door to small children running around, building blocks, or some other activity. He continued to look around until he saw a small, little girl who didn't even look a year old. Her hair was in chocolate ringlets down her back, with a light pink ribbon tied into a bow to slick her hair out of her eyes. The moment their eyes met, his heart stopped. High cheekbones, rosy cheeks and lips, and the largest eyes that were just as dark as his. Seto was staring at a reflection of himself in the child. He could feel his heart melting faster than the speed of light. She looked precious and held so much purity and innocence in her eyes.

_I must be dreaming. She...looks just like me, _He thought, finally taking a few deep breaths. He felt lightheaded as everything was rushing to his brain. That child...was his. Whoever the darling little girl was...she was his flesh and blood. His first thought went to the mother's identity, which came as painfully obvious. He only knew one woman that had large, doe eyes, rosy cheeks, and glowing, porcelain skin.

Anzu. The CEO didn't know whether to be infuriated, joyful, or saddened by the fact that he had a daughter. He couldn't manage to get over his initial shock. Anzu gave birth to his daughter. Why she couldn't manage to inform him remained a mystery, until he decided to abruptly leave for his limo. He wanted answers, and he was going to ensure that Anzu gave them to him.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you have it! Seto finally knows about Morgan (even though he doesn't know her actual name)...and Mokuba knows why Anzu refuses to tell Seto about Morgan. Well, I guess it's a little too late for her to stall any longer :) Anyywho, I want to thank everyone again for the positive feedback and such! I'm glad that everyone is responding positive to this story, so hopefully it'll continue to get better! <strong>

**Next time, Seto tracks Anzu down after she spends a week avoiding him. How will their encounter turn out after not seeing each other for a year? Will he set Anzu's motherly instincts into action or will the conversation go well? Also, Mokuba figures out just how Seto was set up by Charlotte and attempts to prove his brother's innocence. Will Mokuba be able to prove to Anzu that Seto didn't cheat on her or did Charlotte have enough brains to cover her tracks? Only time will tell :) Until next time, enjoy this spring weather wherever you may be and review!**

**Cherriez**


	4. Chapter 4

**Soooo, it's been a little while but I swear I have not forgotten you all! I've been working like crazy and spending time with a good friend of mine before she moves in a week. I promise this chapter has a little more drama and scandal for you to enjoy! Thanks again for reviewing!**

* * *

><p>After a few short seconds, Isono noticed that Seto had arrived home...and rather early. He was aware that the eldest Kaiba sibling was supposed to be at the orphanage for a few hours, but it hadn't even been a half hour. "Welcome back, Mr. Kai-,"<p>

"Save it! I'm _not_ in the mood!" Seto locked his car on his way back inside the mansion. The real Seto Kaiba left the building, but a man possessed by fury and contempt stormed through the mansion. How dare she have the nerve to keep his child away from him! Sure, things didn't turn out ideal from before, but he didn't think she would be that pissed off to not tell him that they have a child together. All the pieces were starting to fall in his lap. The CEO found it strange when all of a sudden Mokuba would be out late on some school nights, and always told him he had a study group.

_Yeah, a bunch of bullshit! Study group my ass, he has all A's! _His blood thirsty eyes were set on finding his youngest sibling so that he could suck up all the answers he wanted from him. He was seeing red. A red that may actually end up staining certain parts of his multi-billion dollar home.

"Mokuba, get your ass out here before I _make_ you get out here!" He shouted, after throwing his keys and wallet on the coffee table in the living room.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba, but Mokuba isn't home. He's been gone for almost three hours, sir." He heard Isono say, sensing the fear in his voice.

Seto slowly craned his neck towards Isono. "Where did he go?"

"He didn't specify, sir. Only that he would return later." Isono told him, truthfully.

"I'll be in my office for the next few hours. Tell the entire staff to not disturb me, or they'll need to find employment elsewhere." Seto turned his back and walked down to his home office, viciously slamming the door shut.

_For the love of everything, Mokuba, I hope he is calm before you return. _Isono went back to his post, nervously hoping for the best.

xxxx

"Look, baby! Look at all the pretty fish!" Anzu pointed her fingers in the direction of the large tank surrounding the entire walkway.

After picking up Morgan from daycare hours prior, Yugi, Anzu, and Mokuba went out and took Morgan to the aquarium. They already been there for a couple hours now, taking her to see different types of fish, coral reef, sharks, and other aquatic life. She got to pet a sea turtle and push little buttons on some of the tour sites. Anzu loved to see her daughter's eyes full of wonder as she gazed at everything.

"She's having so much fun." Mokuba smiled tickling the baby's stomach.

Anzu couldn't help but continue to smile. "I know. I think she's going to be one smart cookie like her Daddy one day."

"She just may be." He agreed, continuing to look around.

Morgan suddenly began to wriggle a little bit in the stroller. By the sounds of her whining, it meant she was hungry. "We can go now if you guys are hungry. Morgan's starting to get antsy."

"That works for me. All this looking at fish makes me want seafood." Yugi could feel his stomach grumbling.

"I'm in the mood for sushi. I know this great place not too far from here." Mokuba suggested, as they walked out to Anzu's car.

She let out a sigh. "You boys and your stomachs."

As Anzu continued to push the stroller, she saw a huge crowd out front as she drew closer to her car. Some of them were from newspapers and others were paparazzi. She figured it must have been another celebrity doing a charity event.

"Oh, this is not good." Mokuba said, out the clear blue sky.

Yugi gave him a confused look. "What's wrong?"

"I think Isono might have told Seto I was here. Either that or he tracked me down on his own somehow. Let's hurry up and get in the car." Mokuba explained, rushing towards Anzu's car.

"I agree with him. You get Morgan in the car and if I need to, I'll stall for you." Yugi told her, smiling.

"You're the sweetest. Thank you." Anzu hugged him briefly before getting to her car. While Yugi was looking out, Mokuba worked rather quickly on putting the stroller in backseat while Anzu strapped Morgan safely into her booster seat. She wanted to know how the hell did Seto find out the three of them were at the aquarium.

_Hopefully this doesn't become a habit. I wonder what's making him so paranoid over Mokuba? _She thought, as she signaled for the two males to get in the car. She quickly started her car, driving discreetly away.

Mokuba let out a long sigh as he stuffed his "That was way too close. It's a good thing my phone is dead so now he can't look for me. Something must have happened for him to be tracking me down like this."

"What could you have done to possibly piss him off? It's not like you were home all day." Anzu pointed out, watching him cover up Morgan with her blanket.

"I hope it's not that he's catching onto me spending time with you and Morgan. I mean, I've slipped up a couple times with places I'd normally chill, but he hasn't suspected anything until now." He explained, looking out the window.

Yugi and Anzu shared a brief look at one another. "I think he just needs to calm down. You could just tell him you were hanging out with Anzu and I. It's not like you haven't in the past."

"Right. I mean, I do feel bad that I have to lie to him, but I'm trying to respect your wishes." Mokuba referred the last part to his brunette sister in law.

"I know you are. It's okay. How about we go back to my place and chill?" Anzu offered, taking her normal route home.

Mokuba smiled, letting all the worries and pressures fly out of his head. "That would be awesome."

* * *

><p>As the last two weeks carried on, so did the chilly December weather. Seto continued on with his work, letting his younger brother continue to believe that he remained oblivious to what was transpiring. Tonight is when he would strike. Being that he's one of the richest men in the world, hiring a private investigator was everything short of a problem. Any file on Anzu he wanted, he got it. His mind shortly reminded him that he should be receiving a fax from them any second. His ears could hear his fax machine running as it continued printing the papers that would hold any small shred of facts about his hidden family.<p>

_Name: Anzu Mazaki_

_Date of Birth: August 18th, 1981_

_Residency: 4509 Fairview Drive, Yugobiya, Domino, Japan_

_Eye Color: Blue_

_Hair Color: Dark brunette, looks black._

_Height: 5'5" (165 cm)_

_Weight: 104 lbs (47 kg)_

_Blood Type: O_

_Likes: Ramen, Italian, Thai, French, and Mexican cuisines, dance, painting, art museums, photography, shopping, traveling, working out, and kickboxing._

_Dislikes: Models, businessmen, bullying, and impatience. _

_Relations: Daughter of Amaya and Jun Mazaki. Mother of Morgan Grace Mazaki, husband's name and details has not been found. Many relatives on both sides. Friends with Yugi Motou, Katsuya and Shizuka Jonouchi, Hiroto Honda, Ryuuji Otogi, and additional people from university and various art and honors society._

_Education: Valedictorian of Domino High School, graduating with high honors, Bachelor's in Fine Arts at Domino University of Fine Arts and Design, pursuing Master's of Fine Arts at the same university. A member of Phi Theta Kappa honors society, Domino Fine Artists Society, and Japan's Fine Artist Association. _

_Employment: Freelance artist, makeup artist, and photographer and an active board member of the Judo and Variation Studio of Fine Arts. She is represented by Kiyoko Donovan. Has worked for Lancôme and MAC Cosmetics during college. _

_Children: Morgan Grace Mazaki_

_Date of Birth: March 18th, 2003_

_Eye Color: Dark azure_

_Hair Color: Chocolate brown, similar to her mother. _

_Blood Type: O_

_Education: Marygrove Child Care Center_

_Relatives: Daughter of Anzu Mazaki. Paternity is not available. Granddaughter of Amaya and Jun Mazaki. Non-blood relation to Yugi Motou, Katsuya and Shizuka Jonouchi, Hiroto Honda, Ryuugi Otogi, along with others not listed..._

_Well, it looks like I'll be paying you a visit, Anzu. _He took out his pen and wrote down the address on a sticky note for later.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Kaiba?" Isono asked, quietly entering his office.

He looked up from his home office computer. "Prepare the car for me for five o' clock. I have an engagement in Yugobiya this evening."

"Yes, sir." Isono responded, shutting the door on his way out. He began his walk down the hallway casually. Ever since he found out what happened with Seto finding out about his child, the eldest sibling had been on edge and completely stressed out. Finding out that he was a father of an eight month old child brought a whirlwind of emotions for him. He knew Seto felt proud for the gift that was brought into world, but at the same time he knew that the young man was hurt badly for how long it took him to find out the existence of his own flesh and blood.

"He knows...doesn't he?"

Isono turned to see Mokuba leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and a neutral look on his face. "I know my brother, Isono. He does extra work when he's stressed out or pissed off."

Isono let out a patient sigh. "You have to understand, Mr. Kaiba, that finding out about Morgan's existence after eight months of her life is tearing your brother apart inside. He's a father now, who's fully responsible for another being that he helped Ms. Mazaki bring into the world. He now has to find a way to make Morgan his entire focus and priority. Due to the circumstances, he has to inevitably face Ms. Mazaki whether he likes it or not."

"I know he's upset that I didn't tell him, but you have to understand that I was respecting her wishes. Anzu wanted to tell Seto on her own when she was ready, and I couldn't risk not being apart of my niece's life." Mokuba explained, sadly.

"Yes, but at what cost?" He questioned.

"I deem that as unfair. It's family vs. family, that's a null and void situation. Trust me, I attempted to convince Anzu to talk with Seto, but she's incredibly stubborn just like him." He said, rolling his eyes.

Isono cleared his throat. "Well, I do hope you are aware that your brother plans on paying Ms. Mazaki a visit this evening."

"I suppose there's no point of warning her?" Mokuba asked, raising a brow.

"Not really. He will be leaving at five sharp." He watched Isono continue his walk down the hallway, as Mokuba's irritation and stress levels went to an all time high.

_Anzu, I hope you're ready. Seto's coming for you full force. _Mokuba walked back into his room, hoping that things wouldn't end up being settled by the cops.

xxxx

While unpacking her newly purchased groceries, Anzu watched the snow falling from her kitchen window. Winter was her favorite time of the year since she could wear her oversized sweaters, boots, hot chocolate, and cinnamon scented candles. In addition to everything, it would be Morgan's first Christmas. Under conventional circumstances, Morgan would be able to celebrate Christmas with her entire family, which didn't include Yugi or the guys. It would include her father, her biological father who should be with her mother, celebrating as a family united and not divided.

_It hurts to know what could have been, _Anzu thought, setting aside cans of soup. While she was taking some vegetables out of the bag, she could hear a low rumbling approaching outside. She quickly stopped what she was doing when she heard the doorbell ring. As she approached the door, she quickly put her hair in a ponytail before hearing whomever was on her doorstep obnoxiously knocking on the door.

"I'm coming!" Anzu shouted, opening the door. She nearly fell over in shock when she realized the devil had just shown up on her doorstep.

His harsh azure eyes were staring deeply into hers. "It's about time you opened the damn door."

Just before he could take a step, Anzu abruptly slammed the door in his face and walked away from the door, going back to restocking her refrigerator. She could hear him opening the door and shutting it behind him. What the brunette wouldn't give to get the aggravating CEO out of her house.

He rolled his eyes before meeting her in the kitchen. "Would you mind acting mature for five minutes? I thought I was dealing with an adult."

"And I thought that a year ago I was dealing with a man who had some integrity and class, but look what I got." She snapped, grimacing him.

"I didn't come over here to waste time...," Seto started, letting out a long sigh.

Anzu took her butcher knife and roughly slammed it into a thick piece of salmon. "And I didn't invite you over here in the first place, so I guess we're _both_ unhappy. By the way, you wasted money hiring a private investigator when you could have interrogated Mokuba for my number."

Seto was left baffled at her comment, but she cut him off before he could explain himself. "Just because I have hormones, Seto, doesn't mean that I let every single emotion cloud my judgment and intelligence. I knew you would eventually hire a private investigator to check up on Morgan and I, just as soon as I let Mokuba start visiting her. There's no need to be angry at him, I _personally_ asked him to not divulge a word to you about Morgan's existence."

He fought the urge to laugh at her witty comment. "I understand that I may be many things, but why the hell would it cross your mind to hide my daughter's existence from me? Yes, our relationship ended because of my idiotic misgivings, but I didn't think that would warrant you to keep her existence away from me this long."

"If you wanted anything to do with _our_ daughter, Seto, you would have put the pieces together and figured that after a while of not using a damn condom that I would get pregnant! Don't give me that bullshit and turn this all on me. I carried her in my stomach for nine months and not once did you have any inclination that I might be pregnant! I guess not because that disgusting, blonde bitch seemed to be all that you gave two shits about!" Anzu found herself yelling, her motherly instinct set into motion.

"Charlotte has nothing to do with me not knowing about Morgan, that's to be settled between us." He countered, viciously slamming his fist on the counter.

"She has _everything_ to do with this because she's the reason you didn't know I was pregnant!" Anzu shouted not knowing of her slip up until it was too late.

The CEO was overwhelmed with everything being thrown his direction. "What do you mean she's the reason I had not a clue about your pregnancy?"

"Just forget I said anything. I-," Anzu started, hearing small whimpering coming from the baby monitor. The whimpers turned into soft cries, as Anzu started walking towards the stairs. Ascending the stairs, she finally reached the door to her daughter's room, slowly opening it. Her gentle hands picked up her baby and slowly began to rock her back and forth, quietly hushing her.

She hadn't known that he followed her upstairs, observing the scene of her taking care of his darling angel. He felt as if he should be in the picture, not on the outside looking in. He should be at her side, not behind her quiet as a door mouse. The feeling of regret came rushing back to him.

"She's fine. When she wakes up from her nap, I'm the first person she looks for." He heard her explain, smiling down at her. She watched her azure eyes gaze up into his as she drew closer, as if the baby somehow knew him. He watched her chubby hand reach up towards him. "Would you like to hold Morgan, Seto?"

Seto was completely baffled. He hadn't expected this when he arrived. Never ending arguments and confrontation was all he mentally prepared himself for. His large hands briefly touched hers so that he could hold the small bundle of joy in his arms. For him the difference between seeing her afar rather than close up was incredible. There was no denying that he was Morgan's father and that she was indeed his daughter. He felt her tiny hands cling to his shirt as she snuggled her head on his shoulder.

Anzu couldn't resist her urge to smile. Just to know that her darling baby loved her father already was truly breathtaking. "She actually wasn't this open when she first met Mokuba. It took her at least five days before she felt comfortable with him."

_Of course, I _am_ her father, _He thought, gently kissing her forehead and brushing her cheek. "She's beautiful."

"I showed her pictures of you and I since she was at least two months old. Even if she couldn't fully understand, I showed her anyway." Anzu explained, quietly.

He was silent while he watched her fall back asleep in his arms. The soft beating of his heart was a lullaby to her sensitive ears. "Though I'm appreciative of the opportunity to hold my daughter for the first time, you are aware there are matters we have to discuss like it or not."

"If you're trying to claim full custody, then the answer is no."

He nearly had the temptation to growl at her, before putting Morgan back in her crib. "I wouldn't stoop so low as to take her from you. She needs you...she needs both of us, but that's going to be impossible if we can't manage to speak to each other without it turning into a screaming match."

"I'm just letting you know, it's going to take a lot of soul searching to sit down and be able to tolerate you for more than a few hours at a time. To be honest with you, I'm still hurting over what happened. One thing I can agree to, nevertheless, is that you're welcomed to come see Morgan whenever you'd like, as long as I'm home. I will tell you that I sincerely apologize for not telling you about my pregnancy or Morgan. There's a specific reasoning and story behind it that I'm not ready to discuss without crying. I'm sure Mokuba wouldn't have problem explaining, considering I told him what really happened." Anzu told him, biting her lip.

He turned his back to her, letting his hand gently hold onto the doorframe. "Thank you, Anzu."

Realizing that he used her name instead of her last, the young CEO was out of sight, and for the time being out of mind. It was only when he walked out of her door that she realized she still loved him.

* * *

><p>Her loft had the perfect view of the city and the harbor. Everything in her home was handcrafted and decorated with elegance. When you were Charlotte McGowen, every aspect of your life would forever remain immaculate. She basked in the beautiful day she could see outside the glass windows while receiving a "well deserved" pedicure.<p>

"What's my schedule for the week, Lydia?" She began to play with her lush, golden blonde locks as she closed her eyes.

A woman with a iPad came from the other room, seemingly depressed. "You're booked all week in Sicily for a photo shoot with Italian Vogue and Salvatorre Ferragamo...oh, and I've received a message from Mr. Kaiba with news that he's cancelling dinner."

"What! Why!" Her eyes grew to the size of golf balls. Didn't he know that she was going to be flying out that evening?

"He says he has a last minute meeting scheduled with his board of directors and vice president." Lydia girded her loins. She knew that Charlotte's typical tyrade was coming and fast.

Unexpectedly, the model lamented, deciding not to go insane. "It's fine. I'll just find some time to get over to his place."

"His secretary says that he won't be home all day, Ms. McGowen." She added, plainly.

She sat in her chair with her arms folded, as if she were a kid who's candy had been taken. For the last few weeks, Charlotte took notice to the fact that the CEO had began to see her less frequently. In the press, there was growing speculations that Seto planned on "breaking up" with her, like that could happen.

"Are the rumors true? And don't play dumb, I've seen what's in the tabloids." Charlotte continued to look out at the skylines in the city outside.

The secretary responded robotically. "They are only speculations. Nothing has been confirmed."

_Good. I don't have to worry about him running back to that tree hugging whore or her bastard child. They were a mistake. I'm Seto's past, present, and future, _She thought, focusing her attention back onto pedicure, "You may leave for the day, Lydia."

xxxx

Mokuba pulled his car into the KC parking lot. Fully aware of the awaiting engagement he had, the teenager decided to take care of some business before attending his business meeting with his sibling and the board of directors. Although he found out the truth from Anzu, there were still missing pieces to the puzzle. From what he'd been told, Mokuba knew that Anzu was under the impression that Seto cheated on her and that Charlotte is the main culprit behind what happened. Today would be the day that he figured out who was helping the blonde demon behind closed doors. His first victim, KC receptionist Marlene Martinez.

"Hi, Mr. Kaiba, your brother is already in the board room." She greeted, with a smile.

"Actually, I wanted to talk with you for a second." Mokuba motioned for her to move into the waiting area near the elevators.

"Absolutely. What can I do for you?" Upon sitting, she crossed her legs just before straightening out her skirt.

Mokuba stuck his phone on the inside pocket of his dark grey tux. "Eight and a half months ago, you encountered a pregnant woman, correct?"

Marlene looked taken back. The questioned she thought be random, but obliged with an answer. "Ummm, I guess. A lot of women come in requesting your brother's attention and he ordered me specifically to not let any fan girls beyond the desk."

"I'm aware. Nevertheless, you were familiar with this particular woman for at least a year prior, right? Because you _knew_ that woman that was eight and a half months pregnant was and is now my sister in law, Anzu Mazaki, _right_?" And the final move was made. Checkmate.

"I'm not sure what this has to do with anything. Yes, I understand that Mr. Kaiba was in a previous relationship with Ms. Mazaki, but how is that relevant to now?" Marlene tried her best to be patient throughout Mokuba's interrogation.

Now he was pissed. She spoke fighting words and a fight she was going to receive in kind. "What this has to do with _anything_ is the fact that you were paid to give information to Ms. McGowen about Ms. Mazaki right under not only my nose, but my brother's nose. You were paid to keep it a secret that my brother had impregnated Ms. Mazaki by not letting her step one foot on KC property, courtesy of Ms. McGowen herself.

"Did you know that until just three weeks ago, Ms. Martinez, that my brother didn't even know that he has a eight month old daughter? If you're not too stupid to do the math, then you would know you almost let your employer go a year without knowing his own flesh and blood for more money in your pocket. With one phone call, not only can I have you terminated, but my brother could very well ruin your life." Mokuba continued, wiggling his phone in front of her.

"It wasn't my fault! She was blackmailing me to do it! She threatened to kill my family!" Marlene was now hysterical. She officially cracked.

Mokuba bit his lip. _I thought that's what happened. She knew Marlene can't work under pressure and would easily give her any secrets or information she knew about Anzu. Blackmail was the only solution to keep her from backing out. _"Though I'm extremely disappointed in the amount of pain you caused an innocent mother and her daughter, and by extension a family, I will let you keep your job. However, you are suspended for two weeks without pay. I know first hand the situation that Ms. Mazaki and her child are going through more than you can imagine. You have a great day, Ms. Martinez."

After her leaving with tears down her face, the young Kaiba knew now that his employee was an indirect piece of Charlotte's game. If it weren't for Charlotte's influence on Marlene, Seto would have possibly known about Morgan before now. All the time wasted, he could have reconciled his relationship with Anzu and maybe have had a unified family. One where he would have been able to hold his daughter and calm her down when she cried.

_What matters is that he has this time now. Now is the time to reconcile with Anzu before she ends up hating you forever. _He let out a sigh and went up the elevator to the 20th floor. He stuck his sunglasses inside his tux as he walked directly into the board room.

"You're here early. Mind telling me why?" Seto was busy reading through some reports last minute before everyone's arrival.

"Just playing the harlot's game and finding out things I never knew." Mokuba replied, taking his seat next to him.

"Sounds intense. I'd like to hear about it, if you don't mind." Seto raised a curious brow, setting his reports down.

"It's kind of about what happened between you and Anzu." Mokuba said, looking into the harsh eyes of his sibling.

"Look, I'm doing my best to be in Morgan's life, bu-," Seto started, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Not about that. It's about how Anzu was telling you the truth...that day you went to her house. Seto, when Anzu was eight and a half months pregnant, there was a day that she came by HQ a couple weeks before she was due. That day in particular, she was going to tell you she was pregnant with Morgan and that you were the father...but Marlene kept it secret by banning Anzu from KC property. I hate to tell you this right before a meeting, but Charlotte was behind the entire thing. She paid Marlene to keep any information about Anzu's pregnancy away from you." Mokuba explained, letting out a huge sigh.

The CEO was at a loss for words for the second time within a few weeks. Everything made more sense. The phone call that night demanding he fly out to Sydney, and any flights afterwards were all a ploy. "Hn. Essentially, you're telling me everything that bitch did to me was a set up? That I was merely nothing but another piece of her game?"

"In every possible way yes. I can say that now I'm able to prove your innocence, but what doesn't answer my question is why she would go through all this trouble." Mokuba told him, lying his head back on the head rest.

"Isn't it obvious? She finds Anzu to be a threat because she's a psychotic bitch." Seto huffed to himself, massaging him aching temples.

"Wow, she's one of those 'If I can't have you, no one can' type girls. Nasty business for you." Mokuba winced.

"I always wonder what would happen if you weren't my brother." The CEO grumbled, playfully.

Mokuba grinned. "Uhhh, your life would be incredibly boring and lame. It's okay to admit that I keep things interesting."

"Whatever, I need to make some phone calls before this meeting. Get things started for me." He told him, walking out.

It didn't take a genius for Mokuba to know who exactly he was calling.

* * *

><p><strong>Sooooo, looks like our boy Mokuba isn't as stupid as he looks? Yup, Mokuba is going to be an essential part of the story, but it's going beyond the limits of just being Seto's little brother. Next time: While Seto is beginning to interact more with his daughter, Charlotte is plotting behind the scenes to have things her way. Could things end up in the wicked model's favor or will Mokuba use his mastermind tactics to prevent further damage. Also, Anzu begins to question her feelings about Seto since she sees him more frequently. Will she be able to let the past go? Until next time, happy reading and have a great summer!<strong>

**Cherriez**


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